Deleting placeholder elementsGoogle Sheets: Insert a row of data every dayWhen creating templates, use Placeholder Mode
This support article contains a list of pro tips you should be aware of when using the Sparrow add-on to create reports or templates. Please reach out to the support team if you have any questions or concerns while using the add-on.
If you've inserted a placeholder into your document with the Sparrow add-on, do not delete the element from the document. To delete the placeholder, click on The document name in the add-on, then navigate through your inserted placeholders to find the one you want to delete. Once found, you can click Delete Metric.
Don't Copy/Cut and Paste placeholder elements
We rely on the elementId to be able to find and update your placeholders within Google Slides, and the cell x and y axes to find the placeholder in Google Sheets.
Google Slides: If you cut and paste a placeholder, either on the same slide or a different one, it will be given a new elementId, and thus Sparrow won't be able to find it.
Google Sheets: When you insert a placeholder it gets associated with the cell you inserted it into, so copying the data into another cell will not do anything.
In Google Sheets, you can insert a table of data that gets refreshed every single day. To do this you need to use the Quick Insert button, and in the Insert Type drop-down, select Table
Define your table schema (use date as your dimension), then after confirming your schema, you will be taken back to the previous page where you'll see a On Refresh field. Changing this to Append will add new data to the bottom of the page every time the document refreshes (make sure you set up a refresh schedule).
If you're creating a document to be used as a template, use placeholder mode (in quick insert).
This allows you to quickly add dummy data/charts/screenshots to the template that look good, and aren't reliant on you having data readily available from a source to start creating.
Deleting placeholder elements
If you've inserted a placeholder into your document with the Sparrow add-on, do not delete the element from the document. To delete the placeholder, click on The document name in the add-on, then navigate through your inserted placeholders to find the one you want to delete. Once found, you can click Delete Metric.
Don't Copy/Cut and Paste placeholder elements
We rely on the elementId to be able to find and update your placeholders within Google Slides, and the cell x and y axes to find the placeholder in Google Sheets.
Google Slides: If you cut and paste a placeholder, either on the same slide or a different one, it will be given a new elementId, and thus Sparrow won't be able to find it.
Google Sheets: When you insert a placeholder it gets associated with the cell you inserted it into, so copying the data into another cell will not do anything.
Google Sheets: Insert a row of data every day
In Google Sheets, you can insert a table of data that gets refreshed every single day. To do this you need to use the Quick Insert button, and in the Insert Type drop-down, select Table
Define your table schema (use date as your dimension), then after confirming your schema, you will be taken back to the previous page where you'll see a On Refresh field. Changing this to Append will add new data to the bottom of the page every time the document refreshes (make sure you set up a refresh schedule).
When creating templates, use Placeholder Mode
If you're creating a document to be used as a template, use placeholder mode (in quick insert).
This allows you to quickly add dummy data/charts/screenshots to the template that look good, and aren't reliant on you having data readily available from a source to start creating.
Updated on: 05/06/2024
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